Hire a Nurse Attorney for Help When Accused of Negligence at Work

Whenever someone filed a complaint against you involving negligence at work, your license could be put in danger if not defended by a nurse attorney. An RN from Houston, Texas is just one of the many examples of nurses who found to be negligent while on duty.

On or about May 21, 2015, through May 24, 2015, while employed as a Family Nurse Practitioner in Gladewater, Texas, she failed to intervene in the care of a patient and treat the patient when it was reported to her that the patient’s g-tube stoma culture came back positive for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and that the patient had an elevated white blood cell count.

Subsequently, the patient’s family
transported him to the emergency room, where she was found to have a 101.1°
fever and received treatment with antibiotics. Her conduct was likely to injure
the patient in that the delay placed the patient at risk of ineffective
treatment or worsening infection.

Additionally, the RN failed to completely document in the medical record of the aforementioned patient regarding phone contact with facility nurses discussing the care of the patient and instructions given to the nurses regarding the care of the patient. Her conduct resulted in an incomplete medical record and was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent caregivers would not have accurate and complete information on which to base their care decisions.

Because of this, the RN was
summoned by the Texas Board of Nursing to defend her side.

During the hearing, the RN states that she was notified by the patient’s mother on May 18th that the patient had some drainage from the G-tube site, and this had been occurring for some time. The RN states that she assessed the site and it appeared fine, with no swelling, erythema or pain. The RN further adds that it appeared that formula had dripped on the site and the child was in no distress at that time. She states that she ordered to have the site cultured for the mother’s peace of mind. The RN states that the lab result was received in the evening on May 21st called with the result. The RN further adds that she thought the patient was discharged on May so she told the nurse to give the results to the mother to take to his primary care provider.

The RN states that she was not told then by the nurse that the patient was not leaving that night, but it was reported to her that the patient was asymptomatic, with normal vital signs and no elevated temperature. The RN states that she was called on May 24th and told that the patient’s mother reported vomiting, with temperature was 98.2, and the RN ordered a chest and abdominal X-ray and lab work to be completed. The RN states that she was called at 4 pm by the nurse and was told that the white blood cell count (WBC) was 12.8, but the mother had refused admission labs so there was no baseline WBC value.

Additionally, the RN states that the patient was not signed out of the facility and facility staff was not notified that the patient had received antibiotics. She states that at no time was there a fever reported to her and she had no knowledge of any antibiotics given to the patient in the emergency room. She states that per the documentation provided to her by the Board, the emergency room physician documented a normal G-tube with no abnormal findings.

However, the Board states that her conduct was deceptive and resulted in an inaccurate medical record that exposed the patient unnecessarily to the risk of harm and demise in that subsequent caregivers would rely on her documentation to provide further care.

Furthermore, the RN failed to hire
a nurse attorney to help her with her case. Because of this, the Texas Board of
Nursing suspended and disciplined the RN.

Do not fret if you find yourself in a similar situation the same as that of the RN mentioned above. All you need to do is to find the right nurse attorney who can help you in the case. Equip yourself with the knowledge and expertise you need for a successful outcome by consulting a knowledgeable and experienced Texas nurse attorney. Contact the Law Office of Yong J. An and text or call attorney Yong 24/7 at (832) 428-4579